A fireplace is an integral part of a living room. It's a cozy place to stay warm in the summer and it's the perfect centerpiece to seating. What if you have an old, outdated fireplace though? Doing a simple demolition to replace the fireplace and it's mantel can not only give your living room a sleek new look, but, depending on the fireplace, can even increase your living room's square footage.

Demo in a Nutshell

First off, make sure you won't do damage to the structure of the fireplace itselft. Get a contracter to tell you if there is any piping you are going to hit or damage.

Second, you need the right tools. A sheet of plastic should be laid down on the ground to help prevent the demolition from damaging your flooring and surrounding area. Putting plastic in front of surrounding doors will help prevent dust from going into other rooms and an opened window in the demo room will help remove dust. A sledge hammer, large scrap and power chisel are suggested tools. The sledge hammer used to hit parellel to the wall will help prevent damage the the wall behind the fireplace and a large 2 by 4 scrap used like a chissel will help lift the current fireplace up from the wall without damaging the fireplace itself. With this technique, you might even be able to reuse the old fireplace materials somewhere else in your home. And a power chisel is a great choice for fast removal.

Demolition of fireplaces, however, depends on what your fireplace is made out of. So, make sure to get directions on the specifics of demolition for stone, brick, and other fireplaces.